Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil has bow sheared off after being struck by Japanese whaling ship

The clash between the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Japanese whalers turned ugly today after one of the conservation group's vessels was struck by a whaling ship and severely damaged.

The Sea Shepherd's new trimaran Ady Gil had its bow sheared off and was taking on water after it was rammed by the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru 2, which has been tailing the Sea Shepherd flagship boat Steve Irwin since it left port en route to Antarctic waters to try to disrupt Japan's annual whale hunt.

Sea Shepherd reports on its website that six crew members on the Ady Gil -- five from New Zealand and one from the Netherlands -- were immediately rescued by the crew of another Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker, which arrived on scene Tuesday.

They added that while none of those aboard Ady Gil were injured, the damage to the vessel is catastrophic and that it's unlikely that it can be salvaged.

The conservation group states that this "unprovoked attack" has been captured on film -- Animal Planet has a film crew onboard the Steve Irwin, shooting footage for the third season of the popular "Whale Wars" series.

Thankfully, nobody was killed, but this serious clash may be a portent. This was the most severe encounter between the two interests, and they have not yet even reached Japan's fleet of harpoon and processing vessels.

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: Sea Shepherd's trimaraan Ady Gil after it was rammed by the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2, in the background, in Antarctic waters. Credit: JoAnn McArthur / Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

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Comments

[god loves seashepherd]

guess what, now people are talking about this issue (from both sides) and more people are aware of what's going on with Japanese whaling.

win win for Sea Shepherd

[Avery St. Clair]

Commenters calling Sea Shepherd's actions "terrorism" are mistaken. Neither their purpose nor their result spread terror. Their intent is to interfere with whale slaughter, and to document it when it happens. In a small way, they succeed.

I say more power to them. There is no excuse for killing any wild mammal, much less one that is peaceful and endangered.

[Mike]

What is the difference between Whales and Tuna? Or Salmon, or chicken, or any other animal that is killed for human consumption? A set of ideologies made up by certain cultures is the only differing factor here. Killing a Whale is the same as killing an Anchovy, they are all living creatures.

[Janice]

" - what's next, playing chicken with SUV's on the freeway because they don't like their gas mileage?" Posted by: 2 cents | January 06, 2010 at 08:22 AM

2 cents, please don't give these lunatics any ideas . . .

[Janice]

Not all whales are endangered, and there are some whales that are so numerous that they are edging out the endangered whales. It is the numerous whales that the Japanese and Norwegians are hunting.

As an example, just because some cat species are endangered, doesn't mean that we need to protect all cat species. The big cats are endangered, but domestic house cats seem to be doing just fine.

When my children were learning to drive, the first rule of the road was that really big vehicles always have the right-of-way over small vehicles. I guess the people in the smaller boat never learned that rule.

[Seattle guy]

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Wow talk about fast anti sea shepherd site hahah!

[RH]

It's clear from watching the video that the Lady Gil intentionally motored into the path of the Japanese whaling ship. It is also clear that the Lady Gil is the more maneuverable vessel and thus the stand on vessel. They will lose in a court of international maritime law. I'm no lawyer but I am a sailor.

Where is the outrage at the Untied States daming the flow of water on the Colorado River, increasing the salinity of the northern Sea of Cortez? Changing the enviroment of the birth place of many whales has got to be worse than hunting them for food.

[whalindog]

Before you assume that The Sea Shepherd Conservancy was in the wrong, check out the video on youtube or Londontimes.com

[Taggart]

I'm supposed to believe that the big lumbering Japanese whaling ship chased down and rammed the Sea Shepherds' sleek black Batboat? Please.

[Kevin]

There is no question that the Sea Shepherd and its boats were actively harassing the Shonan Maru 2 since this is their stated purpose; but this activity is also illegal. Say you drove a delivery truck for a meat processing plant, a big 18-wheeler. Would it be OK for PETA activists in sports cars to repeatedly try to entangle your tires in ropes, bump into your truck, and pummel your truck with stink bombs? If one of the much faster sports cars screwed up and drove right into your path, would it be your fault? What the video clearly shows is that the Ady Gil drives right into the path of the much larger boat. The Ady Gil crew is clearly at fault, here. The Shonan Maru 2 should sue for damages.

[Ian]

TO ALL POSTERS CALLING SEA SHEPHERD "ECO-TERRORISTS" --- WHAT DO YOU CALL MONEY MONGERING PSYCHOS HUNTING DOWN ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING MAMMALS ON THIS EARTH, FOR PRODUCTS THAT ARE EASILY SUBSTITUTED NOWADAYS?

IF RIGHT WINGERS CAN'T GET RELATE TO EMPATHY, AT LEAST TRY TO USE SOME LOGIC.

[Seattle guy]

[HOMELESS TOFU SAID]
My vote for the most ignorant comment (so far):

"All that fuel spilled from the sea shepards have made it worse not only for the ocean, but for the whales as well."

Seattle guy is either goofing or can't see past the end of his nose.
[/end]

So oil and fuel spilled in the Ocean is a good thing? Go back to your hippy ways and because of your expensive vegan diet stay homeless!

HA! Someone just registered seashepherdsucks.com. Good one!

[Fred]

richardb,

Let`s take a look at your video.
Someone posted a snap shots of the AP video( Snap shots around 7s and 19s).
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1373/ssagt.jpg
The wake suggests the Ady Gil speeding and jumping in front of the ShonanMaru.

[Bruce]

Whether you agree or not with the mission or the methods of Sea Shepherd, the video shot from the Bob Barker in my opinion clearly shows a non-moving Ady Gil, and a Shonan Maru 2 turning into the non-moving Ady Gil immediately prior to contact.

I wouldn't know the veracity of the report that Shonan Maru 2 "had been tailing the Sea Shepherd flagship boat Steve Irwin since it left port en route to Antarctic waters" but to the extent it is undisputed or unassailable, it would appear that the captain of the Shonan Maru 2 should be held liable, either civilly or criminally.

Its amazing no one was killed.

On a related note, the assertion that this is Japanese "research" to skirt international whaling prohibition is a farce.

[David]

The Sea Shepard Society and each and every member of that boats crew should immediately file a civil suit against that whaling ships owner, no doubt a Japanese food corporation. For generations the Japanese continue to fish whole sections of the sea until there is nothing left, then they move on. Whaling is an industry that needs to die out, like ivory hunting. But sadly, the Japanese love their fish to death. Next time you're at a sushi restaurant, ask them which items are fished & caught through sustainable means, then watch the icy hatful stare on the waiter/chef/owners faces.

[Vi]

Excellent. At least some people are brave enough to stop the murder of obviously sentient creatures. I just wish the US Navy was there with a few cruise missiles instead. Then let's see the super-brave Japanese murderers ram a destroyer ... Oh wait, they tried that before and we cleaned their clocks.

Some idiots never learn to stop being barbarians. Even after two atom bombs. Sheesh.

[Bimplebean]

AdoptiveFather: "Then eco terrorists buy chalets, hot cars and Cuban cigars."

How incredibly wrong. I'm struggling not to use stronger invective here.

If these guys thought chalets and hot cars were important and worth paying for, do you think they'd be speeding around in front of whaling ships in the middle of the ocean?

On the other hand, follow the money made when rare, precious whale meat is sold.

Amazing, the level of deliberate misdirection.

[Shamu Steak]

The "Sea Shepherds" are eco-terrorists, plain and simple. Btw, so is green peace. There are other ways of protesting that do not endanger the lives of others. If they do not like the fact that the Japanese are acting with in their rights as dictated by international law, then they need to lobby to have the law changed. Harassing the whalers, and using terroristic tactics will not get the whalers to stop, it may just make them even more determined.

ter·ror·ism (těr'ə-rĭz'əm)
n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

Maybe we need to look into why the Japanese hate whales so much, according to SP it is because the whales and dolphins nuked Japan. We should tell them it was really a cow and chicken so they will lose interest in killing the whales.

And to all the Sea Shepherd supporters, do you practice what you preach? Do you drive an eco friendly car or take public transportation, follow a vegan diet, and recycle everything? Or are you just being a hypocrit, driving your SUV, tossing recyclables in the landfill, and stuffing your face with fat?

[nick]

Someone should drop an atomic bomb on those barbaric Japanese!

they did? then they didnt drop enough!

[Keith]

Two bottom line comments on this. It took me 10 minutes of internet research to get to the bottom of this stuff.

1) the video plainly shows the smaller vessel at rest and then the big vessel passing on a line a couple hundred yards off... but the Japanese vessel makes a hard turn to starboard and shears off the nose. At the last second the little Ady did engage engines, presumably to try something to get away. Engines are clearly idle before that. Note the japanese are blasting them with fire hoses the entire time (even after the collision, from the aft!)

2) that said, why the international laws prohibit their activity is a mystery to me. Japanese only take around 1000 Minke whales per year from Antartica, and in the Antarctic they only take Minkes. Minkes have a poplulation estimate globally of 500,000-1,000,000. They are protected because they are a whale, and other whale species do need protection. But this is pretty much like protecting deer because a particular elk species is endangered.

[K.E.]

I was reading an article earlier this year, investigating starvation among various sea populations (sea lions, whales) and it all came down to our over-efficient fishing,throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack.

My great-grandfathers were whalers - but we don't need any of the products whales provided anymore. We've invented our way around them, and our lifestyles have changed. Hunting whales is a needless anachronism that a stubborn Japan refuses to acknowledge. Not only that, but due to ocean-wide pollution, and as top-of-the-chain predators, whale meat isn't even safe to eat anymore - the whole thing is pointless.

When you're done reading here, please write your representatives, and support the ones (even outside your district) who are serious about halting whale hunting, and overfishing in general.

[richardb]

The video of the encounter is available. It shows the Japanese boat and Sea Shepherd before, during and after the collision. Neither boat took evasive action to avoid the collision but it sure looks like the Japanese boat was the aggressor. Notice how the Sea Shepherd is barely moving while the other boat is moving at a good speed. Why the Sea Shepherd didn't gun its engines to move away is a good question considering what the other boat was doing.

See it
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/01/japanese-whaling-ship-destroys-radical-groups-new-space-age-powerboat-video/

[Fred]

Well, let`s take a look at the news video from the Associated Press
"A violent clash between a conservation boat and a Japanese whaler has left the smaller boat badly damaged. Both sides are trading blame for the collision, which took place in Antarctic waters. "

Boats Collide in Anti-whaling Clash in Antarctic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWL82aLjRgM&feature=player_embedded

It seems the Ady Gil accelerated into the front of the Shonan Maru. (look at the wake emerging behind the trimaran).

[sheila]

What a load of total scaredy-cat wingnuts commenting on here. Eco-terrorists? Please, spare me the grotesque hyperbole. They are not kidnapping, bombing, beheading, or otherwise threatening the lives of ANY of the mercenary creeps on these giant boats, they are merely making it more difficult to kill these gentle, important sea creatures. That is not "terrorism," you idiots.

Where can we donate to support them replacing their boat? We ALL benefit from the heroic actions of those willing to do what it takes to keep our fragile planet's ecosystems in balance in the face of rapacious profiteers who would kill and poison and destroy everything for a buck. Pretending that isn't true is just one more convenient cop-out for the lazy losers who think that the "market" will magically protect our planet. Even Ayn Rand loonie Alan Greenspan finally admitted that profiteers do not work in the long-term best interest of themselves, the planet, their companies, or the economy but are really just greedy jerks out for short-term gain no matter who it hurts. It's true of the bankers, and it's true of the REAL eco-terrorists - whalers - who are slaughtering ecosystems for private profits.

Thanks, Sea Shepherd, for doing what the rest of us are too lazy, greedy and scared to do. We owe you one.

[TheBigPicture]

The Japs should be monitored, videoed and suffer punitive damages in an international court. However, the terrorist should be arrested and jailed for placing so many lives in jeopardy with their reckless boating activities so far out at sea...